Ranking the coaches in the Pac-12

One of these coaches -- Oregon State's Mike Riley, Utah's Kyle Whittingham or Oregon's Chip Kelly -- is the best in the Pac-12. Click through the photos for our exclusive rankings.TEXT BY MICHAEL LEV AND ADAM MAYA, THE REGISTER; AP PHOTOS

We put together separate lists, factoring in recent success, recruiting ability, degree of difficulty (i.e., it's a lot harder to win at Oregon State than USC) and overall body of work. We then combined our rankings into one using a simple point system whereby the first-place selections received 12 points, second-place received 11, etc.

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One of these coaches -- Oregon State's Mike Riley, Utah's Kyle Whittingham or Oregon's Chip Kelly -- is the best in the Pac-12. Click through the photos for our exclusive rankings. TEXT BY MICHAEL LEV AND ADAM MAYA, THE REGISTER; AP PHOTOS11-t. Jon Embree, Colorado

2010 record: N/A

Colorado record: N/A

Career record: N/A

Maya says: Embree signed a five-year contract to replace Dan Hawkins at Colorado, where expectations are low in the new Pac-12 South. The former UCLA and NFL assistant is noted for his work with tight ends but is largely an unknown having been a position coach for most his career. TEXT BY MICHAEL LEV AND ADAM MAYA, THE REGISTER; FILE PHOTO11-t. David Shaw, Stanford

2010 record: N/A

Stanford record: N/A

Career record: N/A

Lev says: We just don't know yet what kind of head coach Shaw will be. But we do know he was a standout coordinator for the Cardinal and the University of San Diego, which led Division I-AA in offense under Shaw in 2006. TEXT BY MICHAEL LEV AND ADAM MAYA, THE REGISTER; AP PHOTO10. Paul Wulff, Washington State

2010 record: 2-10 (1-8 Pac-10)

WSU record: 5-32

Career record: 58-72

Maya says: Some think there is no hotter seat in the country than Wulff's. It's not all Wulff's fault the Cougars have been historically bad of late, but at the end of the day, five wins in three years says a lot. TEXT BY MICHAEL LEV AND ADAM MAYA, THE REGISTER; GETTY IMAGES PHOTO9. Rick Neuheisel, UCLA

2010 record: 4-8 (2-7 Pac-10)

UCLA record: 15-22

Career record: 81-52

Lev says: Simply put, Neuheisel has not gotten it done in his first three seasons at UCLA. If he doesn't engineer a turnaround in his fourth, he might not be around for a fifth. TEXT BY MICHAEL LEV AND ADAM MAYA, THE REGISTER; PHOTO BY ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE REGISTER8. Dennis Erickson, Arizona State

2010 record: 6-6 (4-5 Pac-10)

ASU record: 25-24

Career record: 173-89-1

Maya says: Four years in and Erickson has yet to approach the success of his prior stops. While the Sun Devils are the early media favorite in the Pac-12 South, Erickson might not survive should Arizona State again fall short of the postseason. TEXT BY MICHAEL LEV AND ADAM MAYA, THE REGISTER; GETTY IMAGES PHOTO7. Lane Kiffin, USC

2010 record: 8-5

USC record: 8-5

Career record: 15-11

Lev says: Kiffin remains a proven recruiter but a relatively unproven head coach. How well he handles the next three seasons, when USC faces severe scholarship reductions, will determine whether he has the stuff to lead a big-time program. TEXT BY MICHAEL LEV AND ADAM MAYA, THE REGISTER; PHOTO BY PAUL RODRIGUEZ, THE REGISTER6. Jeff Tedford, Cal

2010 record: 5-7 (3-6 Pac-10)

Cal record: 72-42

Career record: 72-42

Maya says: Tedford took the Bars from a one-win team to an annual contender in the conference. Only problem is Cal has yet to actually win the title under Tedford and is coming off its second 3-6 conference campaign in four years. Click here to see the rankings for the Pac-12 quarterbacks. TEXT BY MICHAEL LEV AND ADAM MAYA, THE REGISTER; GETTY IMAGES PHOTO5. Steve Sarkisian, Washington

2010 record: 7-6 (5-4 Pac-10)

UW record: 12-13

Career record: 12-13

Lev says: Sarkisian inherited a winless team and guided it to 12 victories over the past two seasons. He has the Southern California connections and charisma to return Washington to its glory days. Click here to see the rankings for the Pac-12 quarterbacks. TEXT BY MICHAEL LEV AND ADAM MAYA, THE REGISTER; PHOTO BY ARMANDO BROWN, FOR THE REGISTER4. Mike Stoops, Arizona

2010 record: 7-6 (4-5 Pac-10)

Arizona record: 40-45

Career record: 40-45

Maya says: Much like Tedford at Cal, Stoops pulled the Wildcats out of the cellar and into contention. Arizona has appeared in three consecutive bowl games, fostering real expectations in Tucson. If Arizona doesn't deliver, it could come at Stoops' expense. Click here to see the rankings for the Pac-12 quarterbacks. TEXT BY MICHAEL LEV AND ADAM MAYA, THE REGISTER; AP PHOTO3. Kyle Whittingham, Utah

2010 record: 10-3 (7-1 MWC)

Utah record: 58-20

Career record: 58-20

Lev says: The Utes have won 10-plus games each of the past three seasons under Whittingham, including a 13-0 record in 2008. But is he ready to play with the big boys in the Pac-12? Click here to see the rankings for the Pac-12 quarterbacks. TEXT BY MICHAEL LEV AND ADAM MAYA, THE REGISTER; AP PHOTO2. Mike Riley, Oregon State

2010 record: 5-7 (4-5 Pac-10)

OSU record: 69-54

Career record: 69-54

Maya says: Riley teaches, players develop, Oregon State gets overlooked – it's a formula that has consistently produced 8-win seasons in Corvallis. Granted, the Beavers are coming off their first losing season since 2005, and most think they'll finish there again. But that's exactly when Riley works best. Click here to see the rankings for the Pac-12 quarterbacks. TEXT BY MICHAEL LEV AND ADAM MAYA, THE REGISTER; GETTY IMAGES PHOTO1. Chip Kelly, Oregon

2010 record: 12-1 (9-0 Pac-10)

Oregon record: 22-4

Career record: 22-4

Lev says: Kelly's all about doing things fast, from running a groundbreaking no-huddle offense to becoming the first rookie coach to win an outright Pac-10 championship. He followed that up by leading the Ducks to the BCS title game. The only question is how long he can sustain that success. Click here to see the rankings for the Pac-12 quarterbacks. TEXT BY MICHAEL LEV AND ADAM MAYA, THE REGISTER; AP PHOTO

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